This invention relates to apparatus for laterally restraining cargo containers being transported on railroad container cars. It relates particularly to apparatus for laterally restraining the adjacent ends of two 20 foot long containers being transported on the same freight deck of an articulated railroad container car where the car is adapted to carry containers having a variety of lengths and widths.
The continuous development of cargo containers has resulted in standardized containers having four different lengths and two different widths. Today's state of the art container measures either 48, 45, 40 or 20 feet in length and either 8'-6" or 8'-0" in width. To handle such a variety of container sizes railroad container cars are being adapted to transport cargo containers built to any combination of the above dimensional limitations.
When 48, 45 or 40 foot long containers having widths of either 8'-6" or 8'-0" are transported on railroad container cars, a single container is carried on each freight deck and the four corners of the container are secured to the deck by locking devices which restrain the container against longitudinal and lateral movement. However, when 20 foot long containers having widths of either 8'-6" or 8'-0" are transported on the same freight decks, two containers are carried on each freight deck and only the outboard ends of the 20 foot containers can be secured by the locking devices. These locking devices will prevent longitudinal movement of the containers but the adjacent inboard ends of the two 20 foot containers are free to move laterally unless additional lateral restraining devices are provided. The additional lateral restraining devices must be readily adaptable to both the 8'-6" and 8'-0" wide containers as well as be removable to prevent interference when the longer containers are carried on the freight decks.
In the past, cargo containers have been restrained against lateral movement by removable or pivotal restraining devices. Although effective, these devices of the past have been inconvenient to use. They typically include restraining devices on one side of the freight car which operate independent of corresponding restraining devices on the opposite side of the freight car. Such arrangements require the use of two operators, one on each side of the freight car, or a single operator who must continually climb over the freight cars to operate the restraining devices.